The Murder Room

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The Murder Room is James’s most suspenseful, atmospheric novel in years and has no shortage of surprise twists.” — The New York Times Book Review Carefully crafted . . . [with] richly portrayed characters. . . . P. D. James can still spin an intricate web of psychological suspense that demands the reader’s attention and involvement. . . . James tells this tale in lucid language, with a wry eye on people and their faults.” — San Antonio Express-News There is a small chance this whole thing is a parody, in which case, BRAVO. The book is almost worth reading in the same way that a D- horror movie can be mesmerizing -- but in the case of the godawful horror movie, no one is pretending to make a real contribution to an actual, horrendous crime that people want help with, and no one is profiting from someone else's authentic suffering.

Summary: The book's far from being one of her best novels but the plot is reasonably well done and the ending is satisfyingly surprising. The characters seem confused as to which era they're living in. It's one to borrow from the library rather than buy.

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Born in 1920, she has spoken of an awareness from childhood that the world around her was in mourning. Later, her husband was badly affected by the second world war and she was effectively widowed by its legacy. Her sensitivity to the possibility and impact of death seems to me inseparable from the dates of her birth and marriage. Although we know James as a crime writer, she is, at a significant psychological level, a war novelist, and the Duprayne Museum in the new book pays tribute to this. Freud would enjoy it.

The stage is set, and the three heirs of the Depayne family are due to sign a new lease on the museum their father began. According to the terms of his will, his two sons and his daughter must all agree to sign or the museum will be forced to close its doors. Two of the heirs are closely involved with the work of the museum and are passionate about keeping it open. The third is adamant about its being closed. The people who work inside the museum and on the grounds outside also have their thoughts and feelings. One of the siblings has just been made the new museum director by the trustees, and he wants to cut the staff. In a few days the decision about that must be made. You may well imagine that something's got to give. Thank you to the author, publisher Little, Brown, and online book club The Pigeonhole for the chance to read this. This is an honest and voluntary review. In incheiere, va recomand acest roman politist bun, cu o ancheta criminalistica interesanta, cu un detectiv placut, desi nu chiar genul meu, mai ales daca reusiti sa treceti de primele 150 de pagini, dupa care actiunea va prinde putina viteza. Atasez si cateva citate care mi s-au parut interesante: how we needed to conclude things better with the Boy in the Box case/maybe not feature it in the book so much since it's STILL not solved. I understand this is nonfiction, we can't have our pretty bows sometimes, but c'mon, even Capote took some liberties with the ending of In Cold Blood (to be reviewed soon, I just finished it yesterday). La scurt timp Adam este chemat sa investigheze moartea lui Neville Dupayne, unul dintre administratorii muzeului, pe care toata lumea avea motive sa-l ucida. Cercetarile scot la iveala ca asasinul s-a inspirat din crimele expuse in muzeu si e cat se poate de evident ca vor mai urma si altele. Asta daca eficientul si inteligentul Adam si echipa sa de politisti nu le vor impiedica.In ceea ce priveste actiunea, Adam se intalneste cu un prieten jurnalist care il duce sa viziteze muzeul Dupayne ce are o sala dedicata celor mai celebre crime din anii 1920-1930. Aceasta adaposteste articole din ziare, fotografii si obiecte autentice de la la fata locului. Aflam despre cazuri celebre precum: James clearly intends this as a clue to her concerns in the novel and it turns out that the murders which occur in the Murder Room are motivated by sex and, specifically, those varieties of sex which the internet has made easier and which the Anglican church still wishes to restrict. The novel can be read as a lament for a pre-sexualised age.